help

[worrieddd]

hi, im 14 year old male

this is a continuation of another thread i posted in cognitive reframing about being anxious for thinking my intelligence was decreasing. it was going all over the place so im starting a new thread for better clarity

heres my basic full synopsis

for a while now i think i have been having mild cognitive problems including memory(ill go downstairs to get soemthing and forgot what it was ALOT) and following the plots of movies and books. i have also been feeling really crazy through these constantly changing episodes of anxiety, and then shrugging it off and feeling calm. i also seem to be having what i think are mood swings. sometimes my legs will twitch by themselves, and i have really bad headaches. a while ago i went to the neurologist, who said the headaches were probably migraines. i also see halos around lights, which the doctor is not worried about either, but every now and then i go into a panic attack (like right now) about it being a brain tumor. my memory is to fuzzy to tell whether it is getting worse or not . both this ridiculous worrying and these things are becoming a real problem for me.

my mom says we cant afford a therapist right now, and she cant keep taking me to the doctor every time i have a panic attack.

what should i do? should i be concerned about a brain tumor?some kind of cognitive problem? or just shut up and enjoy life. other than get rest and exercise, ect. :confused:

thanks for your help and patience.

Edited June 11, 2009 by worrieddd

[confuzzed]

hey worrieddd,

sounds to me like you have stress - and lots of it.

TOO MUCH for a 14-year-old boy! maybe you could look into joining a social group, like Venture Scouting or regular Boy Scouts. That would help you with being distracted from your worries. AND you'd get exercise and have fun too!

Maybe look at what you're eating for your headaches - do you drink a lot of cokes, eat a lot of chocolate, eat lots of stuff that has preservatives in it? Try the veggies and whole grains, and LOTS of water.

maybe some herbal things might help your headaches and anixiety too. Chamomille is good for anxiety, butter bur extract, fever few, magnesium oxide and riboflavin (all together unless you have some allergies that preclude any one of these) are good for migraines. google each of those and see what you can find for the specifics.

[worrieddd]

Hmm. Well im actually on summer break so I shoulnt be too stressed. The problem is, I'm now noticing these new symptoms(ive been slower at getting, and haveing trouble understanding simple things) plus all the other stuff I just can't get it out of my mind that I might have a brain tumor. Im not hysterical about it like I used to be, I know I'm just over reaccting parlty but I just keep thinking I have one. I'm going on a trip next week and then summer camp, but a really don't want to blow it off worrying like crazy about brain tumors. I'm just not sure whether I should stress or not. I feel kind of hopless if I do have one because evry one will just think I'm overeacting as usual, which may be true but I just can't be sure, and that's what bugs me.

[finding my way]

worrieddd, a brain tumor might explain your symptoms, which is why your mind is going there, but high anxiety can also explain your symptoms. Getting stuck in the limbic part of your brain and not getting out causes you to loop and loop on anxious thoughts and feelings that can't access your cortex, where your "smart" brain is. You need a strategy! CBT is one. Another is to exercise and do breathing exercises. Anxiety is tough to manage, but if you can find your way with this, so many things can get better for you:).

[worrieddd]

well still dont know. its my worst fear and i cnat get over it. im sure anxiety is at least part of it. i seems as though i noticed these issues slightly before this my anxiety.

im not sure how to do breathing and i have no idea what cbt is. if its just breathing i can do it right now.

[malign]

Yeah, you'd better be breathing right now. :-)

If you're not, you have something more than a brain tumor to worry about.

CBT is cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a way to counter those thoughts that go through our heads that cause us to feel a certain way, like anxious or depressed.

What 'finding' is talking about, when you "get stuck in the limbic part of your brain" ... The limbic system, in the brain, governs all the automatic things that go on, like breathing and fear and sleep. It's sometimes also known as the "lizard brain", because even simple animals like lizards have a limbic system.

We have much more complicated brains, and we can actually, and often do, override what the limbic system tells us and do something different. For instance, a lot of people love to ride roller coasters even though their limbic systems are probably telling them that they're falling and about to die.

Therapy for anxiety often involves the same sort of overriding. Anxiety is normal, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to feel just because it happens. You can train yourself not to listen to it.

[worrieddd]

i worry so much about tis stuff that when i go to teh doctor she just says,

"its nothing" and i feel ignored(at this point i should be:p.) its litterally making me go mad, and im not sure what stuff is real or not real. so much that i worry that worrying is part of some disease (bleh)

this has happened to me before, last year and the year before that, during winter 07 and spring 08. i had virtually teh same problem, but now it seems i am havin different things, and y anxiety is worse

and yes i really need some kind of support, but my parents jsut cant seem to do it, they just think its as simple as "get over it, its nothing." people keep telling me its anxiety, but my brain refuses to believe it.:mad: i know im a hypocondriact. can i do cbt by myself? probably not....

Edited June 12, 2009 by worrieddd

[smallstar]

I know that doctors aren't Always right, but it would be my thought that if the dr really doesn't seem concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Keep your eyes open for other symptoms, but don't let it consume all your time. To me it sounds like it may be more anxiety than anything physical. I understand your concern though, I worry about things like that too, so just pay attention to your body and if you start to notice other things maybe bring it up again to your doctor.

[Guest ASchwartz]

Hi Worrieddd,

I am also concerned that your therapist tells you that there is no need for you to worry. That does not help because you are worried.

I wonder, have you told your therapist that she is not being helpful? You know, good therapy rests upon the relationship between you and your therapist. You can and should point out to her that your parents are not being supportive and she is behaving the way they are. Tell her that you do not feel listened to by her.

What do you think about this?

Allan

[worrieddd]

oh, i dont have a therapist yet. i know i should get one, but no matter how much i convince her, my mom does not seem to think i really need one. she also keeps inferring that we dont have the money or whatever. i have only been to the doctor and neurologist, whom i havent yet told about, my thinking issues.

in the mean time, it makes me feel better that none of you seem to think i really have a brain tumor, its more anxiety related.

i am teh kind of person who rests on concrete proof to feel secure, but i cant get that right now.

thanks anyway:)

[worrieddd]

I know that doctors aren't Always right, but it would be my thought that if the dr really doesn't seem concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Keep your eyes open for other symptoms, but don't let it consume all your time. To me it sounds like it may be more anxiety than anything physical. I understand your concern though, I worry about things like that too, so just pay attention to your body and if you start to notice other things maybe bring it up again to your doctor.

well once ive told the doctor everything and theyre still not concerned i do feel better. its when something new comes up that i start to blwo my head off about thinking it might change what they tell me.

its not that i dont trust my doctors, in fact my neurologist, is said to be of the best in state. i just havent talked to him in awhile, and it bugs me that i new thing mght completely change the diagnosis

[worrieddd]

anyway i think half of it is thinking i have something makes its worse.

its like i used to get seasick just by thinking i would get seasick. now i dont get seasick becasue i dont think i will. sometimes its just that simple. i got over my previous worries by thinking i didnt have anything, i jsut can seem to do it now. :mad: